Zelenskyy, Trump discuss weapons, strategies at meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. The two spoke with each other and the press at a working lunch. Zelenskyy opened by congratulating Trump on his successful peace initiatives in the Middle East and said they provided momentum for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. He highlighted Ukraine’s need for security guarantees from other countries. While NATO allies were Ukraine’s best defense, weapons were also very important, he said.

Trump talked about helping Zelenskyy with new capabilities for striking deeper into Russia. Such a move would be an escalation, he acknowledged. Trump also said he’d be open to trading Tomahawk cruise missiles for thousands of Ukrainian-made drones. However, he repeatedly said he hoped Ukraine wouldn’t need the Tomahawks to end the war, and that the United States also needed them.

Trump’s upcoming meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest would not include Zelenskyy, but Trump said he still planned to mediate between the two. The U.S. president said he had concerns that Putin was playing for time, but believed that Putin wanted to make a deal. Trump wouldn’t say whether that deal should include territorial concessions on Ukraine’s part.

What other topics came up during the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting?

• Some large American energy companies were ready to help Ukraine following Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, Zelenskyy said, though he didn’t provide details.

• Trump expressed displeasure with Spain for so far failing to meet NATO commitments to spend 5% of its gross domestic product on defense and security.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on Trump’s recent call and upcoming meeting with Putin.